Who remembers the name Ronnie Brunswijk?
No ?
Well, what if we remind you that he is the vice-president of Suriname.
Ring any bell ?
.
Last September, we brought you the incredible story of Brunswijk and how the political figure bought Inter Moengotapoe – the club that one of his sons plays for.
Last September, we brought you the incredible story of Brunswijk and how the political figure bought Inter Moengotapoe – the club that one of his sons plays for.
We say ‘one of his sons’ because, according to a New York Times profile, he has “at least 50 children.”
“An elite paratrooper, a soccer player, a wanted bank robber, a guerrilla leader, a gold baron and a father to at least 50 children during his lifetime,” wrote the New York Times.
In September, a 60-year-old Brunswijk decided to play himself in the CONCACAF League, North America and the Caribbean’s version of the Europa League, against Honduras side Olimpia.
He captained himself and played 54 minutes before being replaced by his son as his side lost 6-0. However, it’s claimed he completed 14 of his 17 passes – not bad for a big man.
But in the dressing rooms at full-time in the stadium – named after himself, naturally – Brunswijk was seen handing out $100 notes to the opposition.
It may have been a nice tough but it got Brunswijk – and everyone involved – in a lot of trouble.
Olimpia – the side that won 6-0 – were kicked out of CONCACAF along with Inter Moengotapoe. Concacaf decided that the owner of one club handing out money to the opposition was against Fair Play.
Brunswijk has been banned from football
Brunswijk himself was banned for three years which was later reduced to two on appeal.
He was also convicted of substance trafficking in 1999 in the Netherlands and then in France in 2000 but the sentence has already expired.
“It’s a punishment that no one has understood in Suriname because here, Ronnie, we call him ‘Robin Hood’ has always given people money,” one footballer told L’Equipe.
“I always distribute a bonus to the winners of the match where I play,” explained Brunswijk.
“If our team wins, I give it to my players. If it’s the opposite, I give it to the opposing players. They call me Robin. There is no corruption, especially since the match was played and they beat us well. What is the problem? It is true that all the presidents of Europe give match bonuses to their players, why could Brunswijk not give them to his opponents?
While Brunswijk will be unable to play for a little while longer, Inter Moengotapoe captain Naldo Kwasie admits he doesn’t do too much running when he does feature.
“It’s true, he doesn’t run much,” Kwasie said.
“We run for him and we are very proud of him, we try to run four of five more times for him and that is very good,” explained another player.
We look forward to seeing Brunswijk back playing for his club once again…